She looked to Orex, who let her get to her feet, and he did the same.“We will be back for the fruit course.”
He led them up to the private quarters, and the three kits scrambled around, sprinting and then colliding in collections of paws and tails.Aretta’s rooms were two removed from Orex’s, and she looked at it with a big smile.
Orex said, “The bedroom is that door there.This is the outer room where your maid will sleep.”
Aretta blinked.“I get a maid?”
“Of course.”Orex showed her the room, the bedroom, and the panic button, and he looked at Maki.He cut a cat door into the lower portion of the door for the night.“We will install a mechanical door later in the week.”
Aretta nodded.“Will you still come if I call?”
“Either myself or your mother will hear you.We will be here if you need us.”
Aretta looked at them.“Okay.You will be downstairs?”
“We will, but Maki will be here with you.”Orex nodded.“Did you know they can sound an alarm?”
Aretta looked at Zelda.“Mom?”
Zelda looked to Maki and the others, and she said, “Sound an alarm.”
There was a pause, and then an ear-shattering shriek dropped her to her knees.Zelda clamped her hands over her ears and silently begged the kits to stop.
Orex frowned.“You have enhanced hearing?”
“Yeah.Sucks to be me.”
Aretta slowly lowered her hands.“Okay, that will work.”
Zelda’s ears were ringing.“Right.Let’s get you ready for bed, and then you can sleep, and I can learn to read lips.”
She walked with Aretta to the bedroom, got a sleep tunic for her, and pulled back the bedding.Orex’s staff had been thorough in prepping the basics.When Aretta was in bed, Maki hopped up next to her.Aretta whispered, “Why did he cut a hole in the door?”
“Aretta, you remember that book when you were little?Everybody Poops?” She smoothed her daughter’s hair.“Maki uses the lav and triggers it.It’s a fun bit of training that the breeder did for pet-class animals.”
“Oh.Right.That’s handy.”
“No kidding.It means if we travel from world to world, we can easily take them with us.”
Aretta beamed.“Do you mind if Orex adopts me?”
“As long as I am acknowledged as your mother, I am fine with it.I am not going to be pushed out of that position.I earned it.”
A large hand touched her shoulder.“You did, and it is yours in perpetuity.Now, let her sleep.”
Zelda smiled, kissed her daughter’s forehead, and stroked Maki.“Call us if she needs us.”
Maki snuggled with Aretta and closed the lower two eyes.The third was calmly watching the little girl.
Zelda got up, and Alira and Bron walked with them as they closed the doors.Orex set the exterior motion sensor.Aretta could leave, but anyone going in would sound the alarm.
They were halfway down the steps when she softly said, “Thank you for taking care of her.”
He smiled.“Caretaking is built into me, but you need me to care, so I care.She is easy to care for and remarkably direct.She explained to me that all children we have must begin with the next letter of your alphabet.I will do the best I can.”
She laughed, and their little kits shot past them.
They returned to the dining room and discussed how long her sisters would be staying.Orex lifted a tablet at one point and smiled.“Your friend Skylar will be here in three days.She’s going to take possession of one of my favourite warship designs.She’s very excited by it.”